Stackable container

ABSTRACT

A container for storing welding electrodes includes a container body and a container cap constructed via thermoplastic injection molding. The container is constructed with walls that define an interior region and complementary upper and lower surfaces. When multiple containers are stacked together, the upper surface of one container engages the lower surface of an adjacent container thereby restraining lateral movement between the containers. However, the configuration of the upper and lower surfaces allows for longitudinal movement between the containers.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to stackable containers, and more particularly, to stackable containers for packaging welding electrodes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Numerous types of consumable articles are packaged for display and sale to the consumer every day. Some articles are sold in containers arranged in a retail display and categorized by function or use in a particular application. It will be appreciated that the type of article sold may affect the kind of packaging needed to store and effectively display the article. Some articles are bundled together and packaged in rigid containers, which do not conform to the shape of the bundle. As a result, the articles tend to shift within the container when handled. One such type of article pertains to industrial consumables like, for example, welding rods used in a stick welding procedure.

Current packaging of such materials includes containers that are constructed with a generally flat bottom, which allow for movement between containers when stacked together. Consumers frequently pick up the containers looking for information about a particular product needed for their application. When placed back on the shelf or stand, the articles tend to shift within the container often resulting in a stack of offset containers. This leaves the display looking disjointed and unsightly, and reflects negatively on the manufacturer. In many instances, the containers slide and fall from the stack damaging the contents.

Accordingly, a need exists for a generally rigid container than includes means for stacking multiple containers in an orderly fashion while providing easy access to the consumer. The embodiments of the subject invention provide a stackable container that restrains lateral movement between stacked containers but allows for longitudinal movement thereby obviating the aforementioned problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one embodiment of the present invention, a stackable container having an interior region for storing associated welding materials includes a container body having one or more walls that define an open end for receiving the associated welding electrodes, the one or more walls defining first and second distally disposed surfaces that comprise complementary contours for restraining lateral movement while allowing longitudinal movement of a first stackable container with respect to a second substantially similar stackable container when the containers are placed in a stacking relationship.

In one aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the container body is generally longitudinal and includes a recess longitudinally fashioned within the first surface, and at least a first protrusion extending from the second distally disposed surface, wherein when the at least a first protrusion of the first stackable container is juxtaposed to the recess of the second stackable container, the first stackable container is restrained from lateral movement with respect to the second stackable container.

In another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the at least a first protrusion includes at least a first ridge longitudinally fashioned along the second distally disposed surface.

In still another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the second distally disposed surface includes a first and at least a second ridge longitudinally fashioned along the second distally disposed surface.

In yet another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the container body is constructed from a moldable polymer.

In another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the stackable container includes a recess that has a characteristic width w, and at least one rib extending from the first surface and spanning the width of the recess.

In even another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the first surface includes first and second generally beveled corner portions, wherein each of the first and second generally beveled corners form an angle A with respect to a transverse axis of the stackable container and wherein the second distally disposed surface comprises third and fourth generally planar beveled portions, wherein each of the third and fourth generally planar corners form an angle Al with respect to a transverse axis of the stackable container.

In still yet another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the angles A and A1 are substantially equal.

In another embodiment of the subject invention, a stackable package of welding consumables includes an injection molded container body having one or more walls that define an open end and an interior region, the one or more walls defining first and second surfaces that restrain lateral movement while allowing longitudinal movement of a first stackable package with respect to a second substantially similar stackable package when the first and second stackable packages are placed in a stacking relationship, and one or more welding electrodes enclosed within the container body.

In one aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the stackable container includes a cap adapted to engage the container body for enclosing the open end of the container body.

In another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the container body has a substantially uniform cross section with respect to a longitudinal axis.

In yet another aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the stackable package includes a recess longitudinally fashioned within the first surface, and wherein the second surface is complementary with respect to the first surface for restraining lateral movement of the first stackable package with respect to the second stackable package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container for packaging articles according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container showing a cap for enclosing articles stored within the container according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of multiple substantially similar containers stacked together according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 4 is an end view of multiple substantially similar containers stacked together according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a stackable container according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 5 a is a perspective view of the underside of a stackable container according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a stackable container according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container showing a cap for enclosing articles stored within the container according to the embodiments of the subject invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a container 10, for packaging one or more articles. The container 10 may include a plurality of walls 13 that define an interior region 16 for storing the articles. In one embodiment, the container 10 is sized and configured to store a plurality of articles, which by way of example, may be welding electrodes 19. More specifically, the container 10 may be used to store and/or package welding rods 20. As such, the container 10 may be generally longitudinal. However, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand the application of the embodiments of the subject invention to other types of articles. The walls 13 further define first and second ends 22, 23, of which one end, herein illustrated as 22, may be open for receiving the welding electrodes 19. It should be realized that the distal or second end 23 of the container 10 is closed. As it is desirable to preserve the integrity of the welding electrodes 19 by protecting them from ambient conditions until needed for a particular welding application, the container 10 may be a generally rigid container and may further include a cap 25 for enclosing the welding electrodes 19 within the container 10.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and now also to FIG. 3, the container 10 may be a stackable container 10. By stackable it is meant that multiple containers 10 may be placed one on top of another wherein alignment is maintained by the configuration of the containers 10. The walls 13 may therefore define an exterior surface 29 having complementary surfaces that comprise the stackable container 10 and function to maintain alignment. In one embodiment, the complementary surfaces are comprised of first and second walls or wall portions 30, 31, which may be top and bottom walls 30, 31. The top and bottom walls 30, 31 may be separated or spaced apart by side walls or side wall portions 34. In an exemplary manner, the container 10 may comprise two generally planar side wall portions 34 thus framing a container 10 that has a generally rectangular cross section. It follows that each of the walls 30, 31 and 34 may be fashioned at substantially right angles. However, it is to be construed that the walls 30, 31 and 34 may be curved, or include curved portions, and may furthermore be oriented at angles other than 90° without departing from the intended scope of coverage of the embodiments of the subject invention.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, the exterior surfaces, and in particular the top and bottom walls 30, 31, may be constructed having matching recesses and protrusions respectively. That is to say that the top wall 30 may include a recess 36 configured to receive a protrusion 39 in the bottom wall 31 of an adjacently placed and substantially similar container 10. The recess 36 may be longitudinally formed along the upper surface of the container 10, i.e. the top wall 30. In one embodiment, the recess 36 extends along the entire length of the container 10. Alternative embodiments are contemplated wherein the recess 36 extends along a portion of the upper surface of the container 10. The protrusion 39 described above may be positioned opposite to that of the recess 36 thus facilitating the stacking of one container 10 onto another. The matching configuration of the recess 36 and the protrusion 39 may function to restrain lateral movement between stacked containers 10 while allowing longitudinal movement between the containers 10. This allows the potential buyer to handle the packaged articles, stacked in a retail display for example, without disrupting the orderly arrangement of the containers 10. Accordingly, the top wall 30 includes an upper surface having a recess 36, which may be a channel 37, and the bottom wall 31 includes a lower surface having a protrusion 39 extended therefrom for fitting into the recess 36 of another container 10.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of the subject invention, which shows an end view of two stacked containers 10. In this embodiment, the recess 36 fashioned in the upper surface of the top wall 30 comprises a channel 37 that extends along the entire length of the container 10 and spans a width of the top wall 30. It is noted that the channel 37 may be fashioned having any width as is appropriate for use with the embodiments of the subject invention. The lower surface of the distal wall 31 correspondingly includes a rail or ridge 40 that extends along the opposite side of the container 10. As two containers 10 are stacked together, the ridge 40 of one container 10 is received within the channel 37 and abuts the extents of the channel 37, which functions as a guide to keep the containers 10 aligned. More specifically, the lower surface may include two rails or ridges 40 spaced apart by a distance that matches the width of the channel 37. It is to be construed that the width of the channel 37 and the distance between the ridges 40 may be set at any length suitable for use with the embodiments of the subject invention. However, it is preferred that the two dimensions are close in magnitude thereby ensuring a close fit between the stacked containers 10.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, in one embodiment the interface 44 of the container walls 30, 31 may include beveled surfaces 45. That is to say that the sides of the container walls 30, 31 terminate in angled edges 46, which may be generally planar in configuration. The beveled surfaces 45 may be fashioned to extend outside the perimeter of walls 30, 31 and 34, the ends of which may form the channel 37 in the upper surface of the top wall 30 and the ridges 40 in the lower surface of the bottom wall 31. It is noted that the width of the beveled surfaces 45 a adjacent the top wall 30 are shorter than the width of the beveled surfaces 45 b adjacent the bottom wall 31. Thus, it will be appreciated that the wider beveled surfaces 45 b narrow the gap between the ridges 40 to a distance sufficient to fit within the channel 37 fashioned in the top wall 30. It is to be construed that any width of beveled surface 45 a, 45 b and, in particular, any ratio of widths of the beveled surfaces 45 a, 45 b may be chosen with sound engineering judgment. It will be realized by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the angles at which the beveled surfaces 45 are fashioned, when referenced from a transverse container axis Y, may also affect how the ridges 40 engage the channel 37. In the current embodiment, the angles of the beveled surfaces 45 a, 45 b with respect to the transverse container axis Y may be 45°. That is to say that the angles of the beveled surfaces 45 a, 45 b may be substantially equal. However, it is contemplated in an alternate embodiment that the angle of the beveled surfaces 45 a may be different than the angle of the beveled surfaces 45 b. In fact, any angle of the beveled surfaces 45 a, 45 b may be chosen with sound engineering judgment as is appropriate for constructing a stackable container 10. While the aforementioned embodiment describes upper and lower surfaces comprised of generally planar contours, it will be understood that curved or other nonlinear surfaces, may also be utilized to comprise the complementary upper and lower surfaces for constructing a stackable container 10.

With reference again to FIGS. 1 and 3, the container 10 may further include a rib 48 fashioned in a cross wise manner spanning the width of the channel 37. The height of the rib 48 may be shorter than the depth of the channel 37. In this manner, the rib 48 functions to help position the ridges 40 of an adjacent container 10 within the channel 37. Without the rib 48, a container 10 stacked onto another container 10 may sit offset with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the container 10. As a result, lateral movement may be restrained in only one direction affording the subsequently stacked container 10 the opportunity to slide off the stack in the opposite direction. Any number of ribs 48 may be incorporated into the upper surface contour at various positions along the length the container. In the current embodiment, a first rib 48 is fashioned at one end of the container 10. At the distal end of the container 10, a second rib 48 may be included that is comprised of a connecting region between the cap 25 and the container body 11. In other words, the overlapping portions of the cap 25 and the container body 11 form a second rib 48 for aligning the stacked containers 10, as will be discussed further in a subsequent paragraph.

With reference now to FIGS. 5, 5 a and 6, another embodiment of the subject invention will now be discussed. Similar to the previous embodiments, the container 10 may be fashioned having a generally rectangular cross section. However, the corners of the container 10 of the current embodiment do not terminate in beveled surfaces 45 a, 45 b. Rather, the top and bottom walls 30, 31 extend directly from the side walls 34 at substantially right angles. To facilitate longitudinal movement between stacked containers 10, the upper surface of the top wall 30 may include a channel 37 a like that of the previous embodiments. However, by way of contrast to the previous embodiment, the protrusion 39 may be fashioned to extend directly and perpendicularly from the bottom wall 31, having a width slightly less than the width of the channel 37 a. Accordingly, when one container 10 is stacked onto another, the channel 37 of the first container 10 receives the protrusion 39 a of the second container. The sides of the channel 37 therefore function to constrain the stacked container 10 by restricting lateral movement of the protrusion 39 a but allowing for longitudinal movement there between.

The container 10 may be constructed using moldable materials such as a thermoplastic polymer. In an exemplary manner, the container 10 may be constructed using polypropylene, polyethylene, and/or rubber. However, any type of material, thermoplastic, thermoset or otherwise, may be utilized to construct the containers 10 of the embodiments of the subject invention. The container 10 may be formed using an injection molding process. In this process, a mold, typically fashioned from two matching halves, is placed in a press having platens that close to force the mold halves together. The mold is manufactured with a cavity that, when closed, define the shape of the container 10. In one embodiment, mold cores are used to determine the shape of the interior of the container 10. Polymer material is then melted in a barrel and then injected into the mold cavity. A cooling cycle is subsequently initiated, after which the molded container 10 is ejected from the mold. It is noted here that other processes may also be used to construct the container 10 including but not limited to blow molding.

With reference again to FIG. 2 and now to FIG. 7, as previously mentioned, the container 10 may include a cap 25 for enclosing the welding electrodes 19 within the container 10. As such, the container 10 may comprise a container body, illustrated generally at 11, for receiving the welding electrodes 19, and a container cap 25 for enclosing the container 10. The cap 25 may be constructed in a separate but similar process to that of the container body 11, as mentioned above. In one embodiment, the cap 25 may have a similar configuration to that of the container body 11. That is to say that the cap 25 may include one or more walls 30, 31 and 34 that define an interior region 16, which may correspond to the interior region 16 of the container body 11. In this manner, welding electrodes 19 stored within the container 10 are uniformly supported at both ends to minimize any damage that may result from being transported between locations. The length of the container body 11 may be proportionate to the length of the welding electrodes 19 stored therein. More specifically, the container body 11 may have a length slightly shorter than the length of the welding electrodes 19 so that, when the cap 25 is removed, only the end is exposed thus minimizing the potential for damage to the electrode 19. The cap 25 may be distinctively shorter than the container body 11. In one embodiment, the cap 25 may be just long enough to cover the exposed portion of the welding rod without leaving excess room within the container 10, as excess room in the container 10 may damage the welding electrodes 19 during shipment. However, it is to be construed that any length of cap 25 and any length of container body 11 may be chosen as is appropriate for use with the embodiments of the subject invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 7, the cap 25 may be constructed to interlock with the container body 11. In one embodiment, the cap 25 may be constructed having an open mouth 54 similar to that of the open end 22 of the container body 11. The cap 25 may further include a lip 56 fashioned on the inside of the mouth 54, which is designed to engage a rim 50 fashioned on the exterior of the container body 11 near the open end 22. To enclose the open end 22 of the container body 11, the mouth 54 may be constructed having a slightly larger circumference so that the cap 25 fits over the open end 22 of the container body 11. In this manner, as the cap 25 is positioned onto the container body 11, the lip 56 and/or the rim 50 resiliently deform thereby snapping into engagement and enclosing the welding electrodes 19 within the container 10. Similarly, pulling the cap 25 from the container body 11 will disengage the lip 56 and rim 50. It is noted here that any thickness of the walls near the mouth 54 of the cap 25 and the open end 22 of the container body 11 may be chosen as is appropriate for use with the embodiments of the subject invention.

The invention has been described herein with reference to the preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalence thereof. 

1. A stackable container having an interior region for storing associated welding materials, comprising: a container body having one or more walls that define an open end for receiving the associated welding electrodes, the one or more walls defining first and second distally disposed surfaces that comprise complementary contours for restraining lateral movement while allowing longitudinal movement of a first stackable container with respect to a second substantially similar stackable container when the stackable containers are placed in a stacking relationship.
 2. The stackable container as defined in claim 1, wherein the container body is generally longitudinal; and further comprising: a recess longitudinally fashioned within the first surface; and, at least a first protrusion extending from the second distally disposed surface, wherein when the at least a first protrusion of the first stackable container is juxtaposed to the recess of the second stackable container, the first stackable container is restrained from lateral movement with respect to the second stackable container.
 3. The stackable container as defined in claim 2, wherein the at least a first protrusion is at least a first ridge longitudinally fashioned along the second distally disposed surface.
 4. The stackable container as defined in claim 3, wherein the second distally disposed surface includes a first and at least a second ridge longitudinally fashioned along the second distally disposed surface.
 5. The stackable container as defined in claim 4, wherein the container body is constructed from a moldable polymer.
 6. The stackable container as defined in claim 4, wherein the recess has a characteristic width w; and further comprising: at least one rib extending from the first surface and spanning the width of the recess.
 7. The stackable container as defined in claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises first and second generally planar corner portions, wherein each of the first and second generally planar corners form an angle A with respect to a transverse axis of the stackable container.
 8. The stackable container as defined in claim 7, wherein the second distally disposed surface comprises third and fourth generally planar corner portions, wherein each of the third and fourth generally planar corners form an angle Al with respect to a transverse axis of the stackable container.
 9. The stackable container as defined in claim 8, wherein the angle A and A1 are substantially equal.
 10. The stackable container as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second distally disposed surfaces include curved portions for restraining lateral movement.
 11. The stackable container as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a cap adapted to engage the container body for enclosing the open end of the stackable container.
 12. The stackable container as defined in claim 11, wherein the cap snaps into engagement with the container body.
 13. A stackable package of welding consumables, comprising: an injection molded container body having one or more walls that define an open end and an interior region, the one or more walls defining first and second surfaces that restrain lateral movement while allowing longitudinal movement of a first stackable package with respect to a second substantially similar stackable package when the first and second stackable packages are placed in a stacking relationship; and, one or more welding electrodes enclosed within the container body.
 14. The stackable container as defined in claim 13, further comprising: a cap adapted to engage the container body for enclosing the open end of the container body.
 15. The stackable package as defined in claim 13, wherein the container body has a substantially uniform cross section with respect to a longitudinal axis.
 16. The stackable package as defined in claim 13, wherein the container body is constructed from at least one of polypropylene or polyethylene.
 17. The stackable package as defined in claim 13, further comprising: a recess longitudinally fashioned within the first surface; and, wherein the second surface is complementary with respect to the first surface for restraining lateral movement of the first stackable package with respect to the second stackable package.
 18. The stackable container as defined in claim 17, further comprising: at least a first ridge extending from the second surface.
 19. The stackable container as defined in claim 17, further comprising: a first and at least a second ridge longitudinally fashioned along the second distally disposed surface.
 20. The stackable container as defined in claim 17, wherein the recess has a characteristic width w; and further comprising: at least one rib transversely spanning the width of the recess. 